Paint is Flying

At this point we have really turned the corner with the refit of the boat.  We are putting new paint on and next we will be putting all the systems back together.  This will involve electronics, deck hardware, rudder bearings, standing rigging, running rigging and everything else that makes a race boat ready, right down to the line bags in the cockpit.  While we are behind our original schedule, we are still very much focused on getting the boat launched with plenty of time to be fully up to speed for the delivery back to France later this summer. 

The fun part over the next two weeks or so will be sharing the re branding of the boat as the paint continues to fly.  As with any paint job, the rewarding part is to see the primers and colors start to go down. After weeks of prep work the payoff is when you lay paint on the boat to see the fruits of all the labor that went into sanding, filling, sanding again and again and then finally prepping for the color. Thanks to Awlgrip for their support and the many others that have contributed to the refit.

More pictures of the painting will come soon.

All the best,
Brad

Shop Talk

Sailing Anarchy stopped by the shop for a 19-minute interview about the campaign, the challenging nature of corporate sponsorship in ocean racing, and the meaning of 'Full Noise or No Noise!', Team Lazarus's slogan.  Check out the Sailing Anarchy Innerview below!
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=406307449338&saved

Or visit www.sailinganarchy.com. 

Down to the Bones of the Boat - Time to Rebuild

May 10, 2010

At this point we are deep into the refit of the ECO 60 for the upcoming VELUX 5 OCEANS race. Considering the start is merely five months away, we still have a whole lot to get done. The location we have in North Charleston is proving to be a great shop, albeit hot and getting hotter by the day. You will see by the photos posted that we are at a stage where the boat is completely deconstructed. There is nothing left on deck. A huge hole was cut out to remove the housing for the old Fleet 77 satellite gear. This bulbous techno-ball of communication will be replaced by something about 1/8th the size and weight thanks to modern technology. The winches are all off and we are rebuilding the winch package and replacing parts as needed. There is exposed carbon fiber (itchy!) and we are building carbon parts to facilitate the new deck layout. It has been hard work for all involved, but also refreshing as we have turned the corner and can begin reconstruction. We are anxiously awaiting some new gear from Harken and Spinlock, who have been super-supportive.

The workspace we created at the warehouse includes some work benches we built, stairs to get up on deck, and ample space for all the gear coming off the boat. We brought in some retired luxuries from home as well, including a mini-refrigerator and old BBQ grill. So half-way through the day we all take a short break and someone is in charge of mastering some hot dogs, hamburgers, or hunting treats like venison and wild hog. Too bad we don’t have that awesome custom of siestas here in the U.S. By the end of the afternoon we are all pretty much shagged. There is only one place to go when covered in grease, carbon fiber, and other goodies… the shower!

Thanks for checking in.

Cheers,
Brad

Off the Keel and in the Shed

It has been another couple very busy days at the shipyard, getting the keel removed from the race boat and moving her into the shed. The keel has not been removed from the boat since 2004, and the good news is that it was terribly difficult to detach from the hull… hard for the crew yet reassuring that it was built right and should never be easily separately from the bottom of the boat! It took a great deal of physical labor, with the guys banging on the different plates that hold it into the boat, lots of wiggling, and the final use of hydraulic jacks to lower the keel out.

Once the massive tungsten keel was detached from the hull, we lifted the boat out of her cradle and onto a flatbed trailer. Once again, the skilled crew at Detyens Shipyard proved invaluable, helping us carefully move the boat into the warehouse in North Charleston. We then devised a system using chainfalls from Charleston Rigging to hang the boat from the rafters of the building, which allowed us to get the boat off the trailer and lower it down onto the bunks from the cradle. Essentially this whole process will allow for the shore team to have reasonable access to the boat in a safe and shaded space. We are ready for the refit to begin!

Cheers and thanks for keeping up with our progress,
Brad

The Refit Begins

An enormous shipbuilding crane hauled our ECO 60 out of the water at Detyens Shipyard in North Charleston yesterday, where hardworking shipbuilders and technicians supervised the gentle placement of the racing yacht in a custom-built cradle nearby.Yes, it made us all a bit nervous seeing the light, thin skinned carbon baby swinging from water to land, but thankfully we had experts on hand! We will conduct a comprehensive refit over the next three months in a building on the old Charleston Navy Base in preparation for the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11 race.

The complete refit will include extensive work disassembling the rig, rudders, keel and daggerboards, while the entire deck layout and sail handling systems will be modified to suit my sailing style and the intricacies of sailing a 60-foot boat competitively alone. The electronics package is one of the most important performance tools on a modern racing yacht, and we will replace the entire system currently aboard the boat. The new system of radar, chart plotters, autopilots, and communications gear will be from B&G, with the latest high-performance chipsets and software.

A special thanks to Charleston Rigging, Pierside Boatworks, Seabreeze Marina, and Urban Electric for their support offered to the project.

Thanks for keeping up with our progress,
Brad

Photos by Meredith Block, blocksail.com

Final Sail Before Haul & Refit

Today marks a significant milestone for our team as we proceed into boat rebuilding mode rather than acquire and evaluate the boat mode.  Tomorrow we plan to haul the boat out of the water and disassemble the rig, rudders, keel and dagger boards. That gear, along with the hull, will be safely at home in the shed where the refit will take place.  I will report with pictures on that process later this week.

While Meaghan and the rest of her team continue to pound the pavement for financial support and sponsorship, the boat side of our team had some serious things to consider for the upcoming refit.  We had to evaluate what to change and what not to change in an effort to make the boat as competitive as possible without busting our slim budget.  That process included going out for a sail off Charleston harbor one last time to finalize a few decisions before we haul the boat out of the water.  The good news is that we need to do fewer modifications than I initially thought. The list is still considerable.

The entire deck layout will be modified to accommodate a more current layout with reefing system lead aft, more adjustable jib lead systems and many more tweaks being able to happen from the cockpit.  We are even going to move the utility winches inboard and tie them to the coffee grinder in an effort to make the boat more “adjustable on the fly.”  This process will involve the special project teams from both Spinlock and Harken, in an effort to establish a think tank of resources to make sure things all mesh at the cockpit in an ergonomic and reliable way.  The other big job is that we will be replacing the electronics package.  The newer B&G pilots with the latest software have an uncanny knack for driving an Open 60 in the Southern Ocean and will be at the heart of our modernization of the boat from a performance point of view.  There is also going to be a long list of “freshen up” items as well.  The boat has done a Vendee Globe and a handful of Transatlantics since its last serious “fluff and buff” so that represents a significant portion of the work list.  Our final sail ended up being a great exercise in finalizing a work list and now it is time to execute!

Thanks for checking in,
Brad

The Eagle has Landed

Boy the crew was happy to see us. There was a particular look of relief on the face of my Project Manager, Jeffrey Wargo, who has been gone from his Johns Island home for more than 2 months. The extended delivery from France to Charleston was his longest offshore voyage, despite thousands of miles on competitive and leisure sailboats. His partner Liz Orsi and their dogs came out with me on the chase boat to cheer them on, as did Dr. Kevin Hogan, who was part of the original crew leaving France. The crew received our treats of food and cold beer with open arms, and continued their slow motor to the dock. It was great to greet my old friends Jeffrey and JC Caso, who will stay here in Charleston to execute the refit and preparations for the race, and also travel to each port of the race as my core shore support team. Adam Currier, who was just onboard for the delivery from Tenerife to Charleston, is a great guy who helped us out when we were in France as well. He barely made it here in time for his flight home to Lorient, France, but I’m sure we will see him again when we head to La Rochelle for the start of the race. The boat looks great and truly had a good beating on the delivery from France. She needs some love and we will get to work as soon as the boys get some sleep and feel rested enough to dig in to a pretty major project.

Thanks for following our progress.
Cheers,
Brad

 

Photo by Pepe Hernandez

 

Photo by Pepe Hernandez

Boat to Arrive this Morning in Charleston

I received word this morning at about 6:30 a.m. that the race boat was at the jetties entering Charleston Harbor. They are coming in slowly as they are fighting the tide and have limited horsepower for motoring. They expect to be at the dock by 8:30 a.m. at Seabreeze Marina on Immigration Street in downtown Charleston. I'm headed out onto the water to greet them and deliver some treats. I think food and sleep are probably high on their list at this point!

Thanks for checking in,
Brad

No Rest for the Weary

15:00 GMT
30° 37’ North 79° 32 West

I remember the last few days of the Around Alone race in 2002/3. After more than 9 months and 140+ days cumulative at sea, I was afforded no gifts in the form of agreeable weather. It was brutal off the coast of the Northeast and I had propped myself in an interesting braced position down below to weather the violent pounding of upwind conditions and rough seas. My vision of the finish line was so tangible and real, yet seemed so far away considering the last beating I had to endure.

I think the crew may feel somewhat similar, in that they have been handed crappy weather throughout this 5-week odyssey… and the last 24 hours will be no different. I spoke with Jeffrey this morning and he, JC and Adam are REALLY ready to reach Charleston. However, the winds are all over the place, with Northerlies ranging from 330° to 020°. They are currently sailing West toward the coast between Jacksonville and Savannah. The weather models suggest they have a high pressure system coming which will provide them light and variable conditions for a while. Not exactly good news with an anxious crew! I expect they will arrive sometime between late this evening and 12:00 noon tomorrow (Monday). I’d place my marker on 7:00am, but as we always say, boats don’t have ETAs, they only have destinations. Thanks for checking in.

Specific requests of the crew upon arrival:
Fried chicken (hot or cold)
Ribs
Mashed potatoes
Cole Slaw
Beer

Cheers,
Brad